Navy commissioning honors ship's Pennsylvania namesake
Thousands gathered in the shadow of the massive USS John P. Murtha on Saturday to send the ship into active service and honor its namesake. The U.S.
apnews.comI don’t have live access to news feeds right now. Here’s a quick synthesis of what has been reported recently about USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) based on reputable sources up to now:
- Artemis II recovery role: The ship has been used as a recovery platform for NASA’s Artemis II mission, including testing and operations related to crew recovery off the U.S. West Coast in 2026. This includes involvement in Underway Recovery Tests and NASA’s landing and recovery activities.[3][6]
- April 2026 activity: Reports indicate the Murtha departed San Diego in early April 2026 to support Artemis II operations, with subsequent coverage noting its location in the Pacific amid Artemis II recovery efforts.[2][5]
- Public-facing updates: Coverage from defense and space-focused outlets has highlighted the Murtha’s role as a flexible recovery platform in support of NASA missions, as well as occasional appearances in ship-tracking and news summaries during that period.[1][2][3]
If you’d like, I can fetch the latest articles and provide a concise, up-to-date digest with links. I can also pull together a brief timeline of Murtha’s Artemis II-related activity and its current status, with sources. Would you prefer a quick summary or a detailed, sourced timeline?